Luvua River
Encyclopedia
The Luvua River is a river
in the Katanga Province
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC). It flows from the northern end of Lake Mweru
on the Zambia
-Congo border in a northwesterly direction for 350 kilometres (217.5 mi) to its confluence with the Lualaba River
opposite the town of Ankoro
. The Lualaba becomes the Congo River
below the Boyoma Falls
.
The Luvua River leaves the north end of the lake at Pweto
in the DRC.
The river flows about 350 kilometres (217.5 mi) northwest to Ankoro, where it meets the Lualaba.
The middle course of the river is obstructed by a series of rapids, torrents and cataracts as it drops down from the plateau into the Congo Basin.
At Piana Mwanga the falls are used to generate electrictiy for the Manono and Kitotolo mines.
The river can be navigated in shallow-draft boats for 160 kilometres (99.4 mi) of its lower course below Kiambi.
The Luvua has its peak discharge between March and May, with significantly lower discharge between September and November.
The Luvua drains an area of over 218000 square kilometres (84,170.3 sq mi), much of which was at one time part of the Zambezi watershed.
There is strong faunal evidence for the Luvua basin having once been part of the Zambezi system, with several species of fish that are common in the Zambezi system also being found in the Luvua.
Congo fauna have penetrated up the Luvua into Lake Mweru, but have been blocked by the Mambatuta Falls
from entry into Lake Bangweulu. The transition occurred in the early Tertiary
.
.
They place the origin of the Nile in the highlands between Tanzania and Zambia, where the Chambezi River originates, flowing southwest to Lake Bangweolo. From that lake the Luapula River
emerges and flows northward over 500 kilometres (310.7 mi) to Lake Nweru. The Luvua river exits lake Nweru and flows northwest to join the Lualaba River
, which becomes the Congo River further downstream.
Some say that the Congo begins where the Lualaba and Luvua meet.
The argument for treating the Lualaba as the main headwater, although it is much shorter, is that it has twice the volume of water at the point where it meets the Luvua.
.
Some time after 1810 Kumwimbe Ngombe, ruler of the Luba Kingdom, conquered the region.
The European missionary and explorer David Livingston
"discovered" Lake Mweru in 1867, and formed the theory that the Luvua flowed to the Upper Nile. It was only after Livingston's death that Henry Morton Stanley
in his expedition of 1874-1877 showed that the river in fact was a tributary of the Congo.
Starting in 1891, a Swahili named Shimba launched a series of slave-raiding expeditions that depopulated most of the western shore of Lake Mweru. Shimba joined forces with another Swahili named Kafindo who was based on the upper Luvua, and attacked the local Yeke ruler. These attacks continued until the Belgian Braseur arrived and began to "pacify" the region, which the European powers had agreed belonged to Belgium.
In 2000, during the Second Congo War
, government forces suffered a major defeat by Rwanda
n forces at Pweto, at the source of the river. The DRC forces had brought most of their armored vehicles across the river. There was a single ferry, and they did not have enough time to evacuate the vehicles before the Rwandans arrived. Soldiers loaded a T-62 tank awkwardly, and the ferry tipped over and sank. The Rwandans found 33 tanks, as well as other vehicles, which the DRC troops had tried to burn.
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
in the Katanga Province
Katanga Province
Katanga Province is one of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province. Under the new constitution, the province was to be replaced by four smaller provinces by February 2009; this did not actually take place.Katanga's regional...
of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
(DRC). It flows from the northern end of Lake Mweru
Lake Mweru
Lake Mweru is a freshwater lake on the longest arm of Africa's second-longest river, the Congo. Located on the border between Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, it makes up 110 km of the total length of the Congo, lying between its Luapula River and Luvua River segments.Mweru...
on the Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
-Congo border in a northwesterly direction for 350 kilometres (217.5 mi) to its confluence with the Lualaba River
Lualaba River
The Lualaba River is the greatest headstream of the Congo River by volume of water. However, by length the Chambeshi River is the farthest headstream. The Lualaba is 1800 km long, running from near Musofi in the vicinity of Lubumbashi in Katanga Province. The whole of its length lies within the...
opposite the town of Ankoro
Ankoro
Ankoro is a town in Haut-Katanga District, Democratic Republic of the Congo.It lies on the west bank of the Lualaba River opposite the point where it is joined by the Luvua River.-Civil war:...
. The Lualaba becomes the Congo River
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
below the Boyoma Falls
Boyoma Falls
Boyoma Falls, formerly known as Stanley Falls, consists of seven cataracts, each no more than 15' high, extending over more than along a curve of the Lualaba River between the river port towns of Ubundu and Kisangani/Boyoma in the Orientale region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.At the...
.
Course
Lake Mweru, at an elevation of about 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft), is a floodplain lake that has been formed by a process of erosion where the wind has carried off alluvium.The Luvua River leaves the north end of the lake at Pweto
Pweto
Pweto is a town in the Katanga Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo . It is the administrative center of the Pweto Territory. The town was the scene of a decisive battle in December 2000 during the Second Congo War which resulted in both sides making more active efforts to achieve...
in the DRC.
The river flows about 350 kilometres (217.5 mi) northwest to Ankoro, where it meets the Lualaba.
The middle course of the river is obstructed by a series of rapids, torrents and cataracts as it drops down from the plateau into the Congo Basin.
At Piana Mwanga the falls are used to generate electrictiy for the Manono and Kitotolo mines.
The river can be navigated in shallow-draft boats for 160 kilometres (99.4 mi) of its lower course below Kiambi.
The Luvua has its peak discharge between March and May, with significantly lower discharge between September and November.
Watershed
The Congo River basin has the form of a huge, shallow saucer. The Luvua breaks through the southeast rim of this saucer, bringing water from the Mweru-Bangweulu watershed.The Luvua drains an area of over 218000 square kilometres (84,170.3 sq mi), much of which was at one time part of the Zambezi watershed.
There is strong faunal evidence for the Luvua basin having once been part of the Zambezi system, with several species of fish that are common in the Zambezi system also being found in the Luvua.
Congo fauna have penetrated up the Luvua into Lake Mweru, but have been blocked by the Mambatuta Falls
Mambatuta Falls
The Mambatuta Falls are a steep waterfall on the Luapula River, which originates in Lake Bangweulu and flows through Zambia and along the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo into Lake Mweru....
from entry into Lake Bangweulu. The transition occurred in the early Tertiary
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
.
Congo headwater theory
Some geographers consider that the Luvua is a section of the Congo RiverCongo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
.
They place the origin of the Nile in the highlands between Tanzania and Zambia, where the Chambezi River originates, flowing southwest to Lake Bangweolo. From that lake the Luapula River
Luapula River
The Luapula River is a section of Africa's second-longest river, the Congo. It is a transnational river forming for nearly all its length part of the border between Zambia and the DR Congo...
emerges and flows northward over 500 kilometres (310.7 mi) to Lake Nweru. The Luvua river exits lake Nweru and flows northwest to join the Lualaba River
Lualaba River
The Lualaba River is the greatest headstream of the Congo River by volume of water. However, by length the Chambeshi River is the farthest headstream. The Lualaba is 1800 km long, running from near Musofi in the vicinity of Lubumbashi in Katanga Province. The whole of its length lies within the...
, which becomes the Congo River further downstream.
Some say that the Congo begins where the Lualaba and Luvua meet.
The argument for treating the Lualaba as the main headwater, although it is much shorter, is that it has twice the volume of water at the point where it meets the Luvua.
History
The upper Luvua valley was home to the Bwile peopleBwile people
The Bwile people are an ethnic group that live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia around the northern part of Lake Mweru....
.
Some time after 1810 Kumwimbe Ngombe, ruler of the Luba Kingdom, conquered the region.
The European missionary and explorer David Livingston
David Livingston
David Livingston is an American television producer and director. He is mostly known for his involvement in the writing and production of the various modern Star Trek franchises....
"discovered" Lake Mweru in 1867, and formed the theory that the Luvua flowed to the Upper Nile. It was only after Livingston's death that Henry Morton Stanley
Henry Morton Stanley
Sir Henry Morton Stanley, GCB, born John Rowlands , was a Welsh journalist and explorer famous for his exploration of Africa and his search for David Livingstone. Upon finding Livingstone, Stanley allegedly uttered the now-famous greeting, "Dr...
in his expedition of 1874-1877 showed that the river in fact was a tributary of the Congo.
Starting in 1891, a Swahili named Shimba launched a series of slave-raiding expeditions that depopulated most of the western shore of Lake Mweru. Shimba joined forces with another Swahili named Kafindo who was based on the upper Luvua, and attacked the local Yeke ruler. These attacks continued until the Belgian Braseur arrived and began to "pacify" the region, which the European powers had agreed belonged to Belgium.
In 2000, during the Second Congo War
Second Congo War
The Second Congo War, also known as Coltan War and the Great War of Africa, began in August 1998 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo , and officially ended in July 2003 when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power; however, hostilities continue to this...
, government forces suffered a major defeat by Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
n forces at Pweto, at the source of the river. The DRC forces had brought most of their armored vehicles across the river. There was a single ferry, and they did not have enough time to evacuate the vehicles before the Rwandans arrived. Soldiers loaded a T-62 tank awkwardly, and the ferry tipped over and sank. The Rwandans found 33 tanks, as well as other vehicles, which the DRC troops had tried to burn.